#SaveNYC

Last week, I put up a new website: #SaveNYC. It came out of the SaveNYC Facebook group, which came out of the fight to save Cafe Edison. It felt like we had some momentum there and I wanted to keep it going, to bring together many voices in support of legislation and zoning to protect the city's beleaguered small businesses and vanishing cultural fabric. Maybe, with enough voices shouting together, City Hall will listen.



#SaveNYC has already gotten media attention--from DNAInfo and The Atlantic's Citylab, with inquiries from major television news. But we need more of you on the site, telling City Hall what you want to see happen.

There are two ways to get your voice heard on #SaveNYC: Make a video statement or write your statement. 

A video statement will have more of an impact--and it's easy to do. It requires a simple camera--a point-and-shoot or the one in your smartphone will do the trick. Then upload it to Youtube and send in the link. No need for fancy edits. It takes 5 minutes.

If you're camera shy, do it as a voiceover. Do it as a group. Hold a sign over your face that says #SaveNYC while you talk. Be creative. Just be sure to make it a statement direct to the powers that be. (If technology makes you nervous, ask a friend to film you. Children and young people are good at this stuff. If you're not afraid of technology, offer to film your Luddite friends and older people.)

Another helpful thing you can do is to film your local small businesspeople and ask them to make a statement to City Hall.

If you're tired of sitting around complaining while nothing changes, here's your chance to be heard. The more voices that come together, the more they'll have to listen.

• Click here for guidelines and instructions on making a video
• Click here to submit text